CBI unleashes country-wide campaign to curb corruption

The Central Bureau of Investigation has unleashed a countrywide campaign to curb corruption on Wednesday. All the16 heads of zones are conducting special drives in their respective areas.

In this countrywide operation, searches are continuing in several places, and 67 cases have been registered so far. The CBI has also enlisted support from common men by a special drive through SMS campaign on seeking information on these cases or new cases.

During such a special drive conducted in Delhi on Wednesday, eight cases were registered in the Special Crimes Zone relating to Forged Scheduled Tribes Certificates. Employees of different government/public service units had secured jobs on the basis of these forged certificates. Departments covered were Income Tax, Doordarshan, Delhi Jal Board, Central Industrial Security Force, Oriental Insurance Company Ltd, etc.

Searches were conducted at the official and residential premises of the officials. Some incriminating documents were also seized.

ACB Delhi conducted searches in Delhi on Wednesday at 12 places of the accused three junior and two superintending engineers (retired). These JEs/SEs caused undue advantage of more than Rs 1 crore to a contractor and corresponding loss to the Delhi Development Authority during 2003-2005.

During searches, six bank lockers were found in possession of the accused public servants. So far one locker has been searched from which Rs. 972,000 in cash, 10 gold biscuits, 29 gold coins, and 810 grams of gold jewellery have been recovered. Searches of other lockers is going on.

The Economic Offences Zone is conducting searches on Wednesday in several places at Delhi, Chattisgarh, Katni in Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bangalore, Nagaland, Jind in Haryana, Rookri in Uttrakhand in seven separate cases involving data theft, supply of sub standard quality of dolomite to Bokaro Steel Plant. It has reportedly caused undue loss to the Vijaya Bank to the tune of Rs.13,370,645 by the proprietor of a Punjab based firm, cheating the Punjab National Bank by violating overall credit facility by another firm, several irregularities in the accounts by not creating any stocks hypothecated to the bank, enhancing the credit facility of the bank without obtaining any collateral securities and obtaining loan fraudulently on production of forged receipts and records to the PNB.

Similarly, the CBI has also conducted raids in special drives on Wednesday in other parts of India. The details are still coming in.

In order to have demonstrative impact, extensive special drives, preferably at least once every quarter are organised to target the known corrupt departments/organisations and identified public servants, so as to attack corruption both at the grass-root and high levels.

During these drives, extensive and simultaneous searches/surprise checks are conducted to detect cases.

It has also been decided that countrywide SMS campaign will be unleased for a fortnight from now, to impart detailed information about these cases and to seek information on fresh cases.